Broncos running back Tatum Bell has lofty expectations for his second season.
“I want to be a household name around here,” he said Thursday as the Broncos wrapped up their six-day team camp.
But first, Bell must win the starting job.
That means overtaking accomplished veteran Mike Anderson, who currently is running No. 1. It also means holding off challenges from others, including third-round draft choice Maurice Clarett – who, like most rookies, is trying to get a grip on life in an NFL offense.
When asked if he considers himself the favorite to win the starting job, Bell said next month’s training camp and preseason games would determine that.
“Right now, there is no set position. But to my knowledge, Mike is No. 1 right now,” Bell said. “But we are both running with the No. 1 and No. 2 offenses.”
With the season opener in Miami three months away, coach Mike Shana- han and running backs coach Bobby Turner have plenty to evaluate:
Anderson, healed from a torn groin muscle suffered last preseason, was the 2000 offensive rookie of the year when he ran for 1,487 yards. Anderson, who turns 32 in September, said last month he can be even more productive than he was as a rookie.
Third-year scat back Quentin Griffin is expected to be on the field full time during the Broncos’ mandatory minicamp July 6-8. He showed flashes of talent as a rookie in 2003 and last season, but his second year came to an abrupt end in Week 7 when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Ron Dayne, the former New York Giant and 1999 Heisman Trophy winner, says he can thrive in Denver’s downhill, zone-blocking system.
Clarett, the former Ohio State sensation, hasn’t played in a game since he was a true freshman, leading the Buckeyes past Miami in the Fiesta Bowl in January 2003 for a national championship. The big test will come when he puts on pads and the hitting starts during two-a-days.
Last season, fullback Reuben Droughns came to Denver’s rescue, churning out 1,240 yards after switching positions when Anderson and Griffin were hurt. Droughns was traded to Cleveland in the offseason, and Shanahan isn’t providing any clues as to which back will replace him.
“With the running back situation, you really don’t know until they go full speed and they get tackled and they play in a game situation,” Shanahan said.
Bell rushed for 396 yards and averaged 5.3 yards per carry as a rookie. He’s doing all the right things to impress Shanahan during the offseason. He has lifted weights and pumped up to 215 pounds – up 10 from his rookie season.
He has studied his playbook and watched hours of tape, making sure the Broncos’ offense is no longer a mystery to him.
Bell’s best game was Dec. 12 against Miami, when he rushed for 123 yards on 17 carries (7.2-yard average) and scored two touchdowns.
But he said he didn’t come close to fulfilling his potential last season.
“I played solid in the little role I was playing, but I felt like I should have played a lot better,” he said. “This year, I shouldn’t wait until somebody goes down. This year, my mind-set is totally different. I want to be in the running to be the starter from the get-go.”
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
